


Hope Enough

by Addfire



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-04-14
Packaged: 2019-04-22 14:20:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14310564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Addfire/pseuds/Addfire
Summary: For the 4/13 gift exchange of twenty eighteen.





	Hope Enough

Today was the day, Eridan knew. Today was the day he would finally get over Vriska and have Sollux fall into his pitch grasp once and for all. Eridan was sure that Feferi was off with Nepeta at Equius' shitty robot pile, so Eridan knew there was nothing between him and some sweet mustard hate. That would teach Feferi. Eridan would be such a good kismesis that Sollux would leave her, and maybe then if she came back crawling on hands and knees pleading to just be friends with each other again maybe Eridan would accept it.  
It wasn't all about Feferi. Sollux's complete insubordination, his annoying tendency to use his psionics, or as he called them, 'p2iioniic2', which were really just some idiotic mutation that should have got him culled, and the fact that he had even won that duel on LOBAF drove Eridan up the wall. Eridan snarled at the thought of it, clenching his fists so tight that his nails drew blood from his palms. This was nothing like Eridan's pitch fling with Vriska. This was the real deal. Sollux was just so horrible, there wasn't a single good thing about him. True hate. Eridan would be proving Vriska _and_ Feferi wrong with this. Two cluckbeasts with one round geological solid.  
Eridan took a deep breath and got up from the shitty wand pile that he'd been staring at the ceiling from. Soon he'd be sharing it. Eridan dusted himself off, made sure his cape, scarf, and hair were all perfect, and walked over to what he'd mentally designated 'the lowwbloods hub'. Tavros, Aradia, Sollux, and occasionally Karkat all hung out there. Eridan was pretty sure that only he and Feferi were the only highbloods that knew about it. Although there was a good chance Vriska did, Tavros didn't have the spine to stand up to her and if the Thief asked about it, the Page would certainly tell.  
Today the lowwbloods hub was empty except for Sollux and Aradia. Aradia had been moaning and complaining and whining for the past few wipes that she should have left this place by now, that the timeline was doomed, or something. Eridan didn't deal in Time, or in Doom. He dealt in Hope. And he was damn proud of that.  
But they weren't interacting in typical friendly manner. Eridan's fins flushed violet in anger and embarrassment, they were most definitely too close to be just friends. Sollux's head was on Aradia's lap.  
"wwhat the fuck are you doin" Eridan asked in an almost incredulous tone.  
"hangiing out wiith a friend. what doe2 iit look liike, 2hiit-for-brain2? and no, that wa2nt 2ome piitch come-on."  
"sol. you cant possibly call that just frondly behaviour. her head is literally in your lap."  
"i th0ught feferi banned y0u fr0m using fish puns."  
"wwhen? evven if wwe arent moirails anymore wwe can still be glubbin friendly. frondly. fuck."  
"0h. wr0ng timeline i guess."  
"ed look iif youre here two make another obviiou2 black 2oliiciitatiion even though you know iim not iintere2ted iin that 2hiit at all then go off and 2iit iin your 2hiitty wand piile liike the 2ad fake magiiciian that you are. ii really dont have tiime for any of your shit."  
Eridan took a deep breath, calming himself. He could feel himself getting pissed off, not even at Sollux, but at Aradia for just getting in his way. This would have gone perfect if she hadn't been there, you knew that.  
"look ara. you see howw nice im being? howw im not using my purest mastery of wwhite science to end your wweird fake highblood existence? yeah wwell im still a seadwweller and i still pull rank ovver the monstrosity that equi made you. so i am wwell wwithin my rights to cull you."  
"y0u c0uld. this timeline is d00med. y0u w0nt th0ugh."  
Sollux snorted. "jegu2 ed you couldnt even beat me on lobaf what make2 you thiink you 2tand any 2ort of chance agaiin2t her?"  
"cod fuckin dammit sol you and i both knoww you got a lucky break-"  
"s0llux didnt. there are very few timelines where y0u actually manage t0 beat s0llux on l0baf. all 0f th0se timelines are just as d00med as this 0ne."  
"wwho the fuck do you think you think you are. youre both scum, a pissblood and a-"  
"did y0u kn0w that in all the timelines where i d0nt interrupt y0u, y0u cant c0me up with a slur w0rse than r0b0t?"  
Aradia was standing now, Sollux sort of snickering and remaining seated, content to watch at least one troll get brutally murdered.  
"go to fuckin hell. you really think you fool anyone pretending to be abovve it all? emotionless? no ones fooled by your desperate cry for attention. so wwhat if you wwere dead once, so wwas vvris and shes a bitch but at least she shows glubbin emotion."  
Even though Aradia was slouching, as much as a robot could slouch, she was still inches above Eridan. She hung over him, radiating a fake aura of apathy. "vriska sh0ws em0ti0n by murdering th0se she is in relati0nships with."  
"the codamn glubbin point is that youre throwwin a fake pity fest to get attention, and evveryone sees through you."  
Aradia shrugged. "if y0u say s0."  
Eridan whipped out his newest wand, one he had just recently alchemized. "ivve givven up on ahabs crosshairs, it wwas a piece of shit. but this is different. i dont knoww wwhat to call it yet but its got the strongest wwhite science yet."  
"im already dead."  
Eridan twirled around, flicking his cape in a dramatic flourish as he stormed out of the room. What the hell was this automaton saying? Aradia was ruining his chances with Sollux, he could see it already going down in flames. How was he going to get back at Feferi and Vriska if there was some ghost robot fucking with him?  
VVV  
"nep, i cant evven explain howw grateful i am that you wwanted to talk to me."  
": 33 < fur sure! i don't even have anything going on right meow so im just grateful fur something to stop the boredom.  
": 33< *ac curls up by the pile of wands, still a little confused as to why mr. ampurra wanted to talk, and also why it had to be at his very uncomfortable wand pile*"  
"uh. do wwe havve to talk in the third person for this?"  
": 33< no, it's just fur fun!"  
"alright… *ca clears his throat in a really dignified manner, and says that hes got some romance problems and since youre the heart player and karkats off moaning about terezi, he wwanted some advvice."  
": OO< *ac is totally blown away by this stunning revelation.*  
": 33< relationship issues? like, wanting to fill a quadrant?"  
"yeah."  
": 33< so, tell me, what quadrant are your leanings for?"  
"pitch. its sol, and you dont have to pretend to be surprised i know that evveryone and their barkbeast know that ivve been wwanting a kismesis for a wwhile, but..."  
": 33< but?"  
"but wwhen i wwas going to propose, ara just bleww it off and i wwasnt evven able to get dumped by him. It wwas really glubbin frustratin is wwhat it wwas."  
": 33< well-"  
"and wwhen i tried to get her to back off all polite she wwent on her bullshit shtick of howw nothin matters since its a doomed quadrant, no one evven knowws wwhat that means."  
": 33< It sounds to me-"  
"and she just sorta stared at me wwith those annoying fake blueblood eyes that equi gavve her, like she wwas at all-"  
"X 33< eridan!"  
"yeah?"  
": 33< i think i know what the purrblem is, but first could you tell me why you want to be pitch with mr. captor?"  
"wwell obvviously id be provvin vvris and fef wwrong and that i can havve a healthy relationship, and also he really annoys me, and it wwould be perfect wwithout that glubbin robot to screww evverything up."  
": 33< *ac taps her foot, reminding mr. ampurra that he had come to her for advice and not to vent*"  
"right. sorry."  
": 33< your purrblem is really obvious. you arent pitch fur mr. captor"  
"wwhat do you mean, of course i am-"  
": 33< no you arent. you want to be but you arent."  
"this is bullshit, i dont havve to-"  
": 33< but i do think you are pitch for miss megido."  
"no, thats so gross. shes some dumb rustblood who got a fake upgrade and thinks shes better than evveryone."  
": 33< did you just hear yourself? this is the most ive efur heard out of you about any potential pitchmate, even vriskers!"  
"vvris and i had something real! our campaigns-"  
": 33< no you didnt and this isnt about that. youre head ofur h33ls fur miss megido."  
Eridan figeted with one of his rings, suddenly really uncomfortable. "you sure you arent just puttin me on?"  
": 33< i purrmise."  
"..."  
": 33< do you want me to help set you two up?"  
"yes."  
": 33< *ac bows to the honorable prince, ready to create a romance that will surely benefit all*"  
"*ca shakes the hand of the… cat? troll? rogue? and thanks her for all she has helped*"  
3Ɛ  
Nepeta gripped the door handle tightly. Look at her, calling it a door instead of a rectangular room transporter, Equius was finally rubbing off on her. Aradia was always difficult to deal with, but Nepeta was sure that Eridan and Aradia would be fantastic together and she would be damned if she never tried.  
She walked into the room. Aradia had decided to use Equius' old robotics workshop for it, before Equius moved in with Nepeta. Before the two broke up. Nepeta was upset about that, she had always thought that while the two flipped from pitch to flushed quickly they still worked well together. But Eridan and Aradia would be good together as well, Nepeta was certain.  
Aradia looked up. "0h."  
": 33< oh?"  
"its y0u."  
": 33< what, am i disappointing you?"  
"n0. its just that y0ur presence… m0re and m0re things ab0ut this timeline are unique. there are very few that went this path. even fewer where y0u talk t0 me. t0 be h0nest, things are s0 0ut 0f the 0rdinary that im having tr0uble f0retelling whats happening next."  
": 33< well sorry fur being so unpredictable."  
"its refreshing really. n0 0ne wants t0 kn0w whats always g0ing t0 happen. im glad."  
": 33< alright but do you know why im here?"  
"n0."  
": 33< well its just that vriskers is causing trouble again, and youre always so good with her."  
"the first time i met her in this b0dy, i nearly killed her."  
": 33< yeah but i sort of think she needs it. she took mr. nitram to eridan's shitty wand pile, something about using mr. ampurra's hope to dispurove rufioh once and fur all."  
"ill deal with it."  
": 33< *ac thanks the maid for promising her aid in agreeing to put a stop to the thiefs shenanigans*"  
"whatever."  
000  
Aradia walked through the asteriod's halls, her footsteps echoing off the walls. That was one of the problems with being made of metal now, she couldn't ever be quiet. She hated being dead, but she could find some peace and quiet. Now, even when she was trying to stay still, a robotic joint would creak and squeal. Aradia wished that Equius hadn't been so good at replicating hearing.  
She wasn't that surprised when she went to Eridan's shitty wand pile and found no cerulean, but a violetblood looking extremely uncomfortable.  
"alright, i think wwe need to talk," he said. She could sense the condescension radiate off him.  
"0f c0urse we d0. every0ne needs t0 talk, d0nt they?"  
"wwhat."  
"nevermind."  
"but the thing is is that i think ivve been goin about this pitch thing with sol all wwrong. i wwas doin it to prove to vvris that i could be a good kismesis, and to fef that i could, it sounds so dumb, but that i could be healthy and not the wwhinin sack of emotions that she alwways said i was."  
"y0u had a really unhealthy relati0nship."  
"yeah. and it wwasnt just about vvris and fef, it wwas about me provvin a point to kar too, because he nevver really thought about me as anythin except desperate and…"  
"and."  
"and i talked with nep and she said that i wwasnt evver pitch wwith sol. but she thinks i could be pitch with you."  
Aradia looked at him. Looked at this priss violetblood who was staring a hole in the ground and hugging himself because he was too scared to say he hated someone to their face. He couldn't even say that, he was using Nepeta as an intermediary, so he could laugh off whatever he obviously felt if Aradia turned him down.  
"y0u really think y0u hate me?"  
"i-"  
"y0u really think that y0u deserve t0 hate me? ive been in a relati0nship with a highbl00d bef0re. equius was a sn0bby piece 0f shit wh0 c0uldnt even figure 0ut that i wasnt red f0r him."  
"uh-"  
"y0u are abs0lutely the w0rst pers0n 0n this wh0le damn aster0id. y0u have the p0tential in y0u t0 murder… i w0nt say it. but c0mpared t0 me, eridan, y0u are a g0g damned failure."  
"i... i think for the first time in a long time, i feel the exact same way."  
"and tell nepeta when y0u see her again that i knew she w0uld c0me."


End file.
